I find it hard to believe in progress. Progress by definition merely implies some sort of development or improvement. Improvement in the course of human history is undeniable, of course.
Technological innovations.
Scientific breakthroughs.
Civil advancements.
But when I think of progress, I think of progressing as people. More specifically, as individuals. There, as a whole, humanity has never made any headway. We have developed and molded everything around us to the amazing and fascinating world we live in today, but the people inhabiting it are just as depraved as the day we came to be.
By nature people are greedy, selfish, self-centered, manipulative, and destructive. I see progress as attacking and bettering these traits. Though many people have succeeded in developing past this state, you can look around and see scores more examples of hate and malice than of respect and caring.
Despite fear of sounding cliché, the one thing mankind has done to thwart this primal nature is to love. Love goes against our instincts. Love allows us to accept others. Love allows us to care for others. Love allows us to go beyond ourselves and do something to impact the lives of others.
This sounds too much like a Beatles’ song, I know, but it is undeniable that the world needs to see more loving people. Cynicism and misanthropy infect our world. Narcissism and pride prevent any real good. We can improve the world we live in until we have a perfect utopia, but until we have a world of respect and cooperation and selflessness, what good is any of that?
Progress is all of us growing as people. Progress is each of us learning to reach out and help each other and care for each other.
I don’t care how corny this sounds. I don’t care if this blog wins this contest. I just hope that someone reading this will be touched and grow from it. That would be progress..
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Love is the thing in the world that is the hardest to live without and the most complicated to live with. I think that there is some kind of progress going on. People are being more aware of the earth, there are those that try to inform others of what is going on, and because of the advancement of techonology we can spread love and peace and harmony in places much much farther. Yes, I agree that to see true progress, we have to do it as a whole, but for now the small steps that are being initiated is a positive sign that somehing is stirring.
and seeing how much closer we are coming to doing this all as a whole makes me so excited. that's the world i want to live in. :)